Into the Darkness (Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge and Tiffanian)

"Hmm... I guess that makes sense, but you won't make it very far into this jungle if you're slow to react. Yes, they're alarunes. This jungle is full of them. And the way things were going it would have raped you nice and quick I think" Laena said with a frown. "But you mentioned powers. Are you one of those spirit warriors? I've met a few of those before, what's your specialty?" she asked, wanting to learn a little bit more about this man's combat abilities, since she was about to be traveling through the forest with him.

"I certainly don't have any problems with killing as long as I'm in danger, but there are plenty of things in this place that you can't avoid conflict with, if you can't just fly away. The people that have been turned by the aliens, for instance. You can't reason with one of those" she said, still frowning and hopping after him as he went outside and looked over the edge of her home. "Wait, what are you" she started, but didn't get very far before he simply hopped off the side. "What the fuck are you doing!" she shouted, frozen in shock as she watched the man jump towards the forest floor, probably 10 stories below them. Quickly she jumped off the side after him, diving straight down and casting a spell that would "catch" him and slow his fall significantly, only stopping to hover in mid-air when she was a little below him. "What are you thinking? You can't just jump out of trees like that! You're lucky I know magic, I couldn't even have caught you like this!" she shouted, her face contorted with anger that was pretty much all born of concern.

Spoiler

Cast Gliding Winds on him.

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge and Tiffanian)

Quite a ways down! This might be pretty fun. Bet she's freaking out or something up there.

He gave a quick snicker to himself, scaling down the tree to the best of his abilities. Unfortunately, gravity wasn't so kind to him and he only was able climb for a short while before his hands grasped only air instead of another nearby branch.

"Well damn, so much for trying to impress. She's right, I'm not really all that athletic. Lame."
Giving a bit of a sad sigh, he closed his eyes and concentrated on casting his magic. As he was about to release the energy, he felt his own gravity slowing drastically.
"Did I screw up the spell?" His plummeting abruptly came to a slowing halt as he looked upwards. A small smile appeared on his face, giving a wave to Laena.
"Ahh now you just ruined the fun. I was about to show you the kinda stuff I do! Won't be as impressive though anymore, but I suppose I'll finish it while I can." The floor continued to slowly approach, and it was taking too long for him anyways.

In a blink of an eye, Garrett stood at the very base of the tree shouting upward.
"See? Teleportation! Pretty nifty huh? Oh! Spirit Warrior by the way, but I guess you've already figured that out!"

As she would descend and land on the floor, she'd find him leaning his back against the tree in a relaxed manner, hands behind his head.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge and Tiffanian)

"Why are you smiling?" Laena asked, not a little anger in her voice, as Garrett waved at her and said something about what he could do. Suddenly, though, he was standing at the base of the tree as if nothing had happened. The harpy huffed, annoyed that he had made her worry like that over nothing, and she flew down to meet him with a look on her face to match it. "You could have told me you could do that before scaring me half to death" she said, the bottom of her closed fist coming down to gently hit his forehead as she landed beside him. "Now, if you're done with the theatrics, do you have any solid idea of where you want to be looking for your family? Or are we just wandering around?"

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge and Tiffanian)

Garrett couldn't help but laugh and chuckle as he watched in amusement of her worry. It really seemed like she did worry about him. He found it actually pretty cute, how she huffed her cheeks. Still, he did feel a bit of guilty making her scared.

"Well, if I don't do theatrics, where's the fun in showing off?" She promptly bonked him on top of the head, which again he found her reaction to be quite charming.

"Hey! Ok ok! Sorry, I won't do it again. And honestly, I don't really have much of a clue where I'm going. I'm just headed for Glassmoor, as from what I've heard, they've been doing pretty well fending off these creatures and demons. So I figured it would be best to talk to them and see if I can get any possible leads."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge and Tiffanian)

"You had better not" Laena mumbled, looking away with a pouty face, her cheeks puffed out. Finally she said "Glassmoor, huh? That's not too terribly far. We can hopefully get there without much trouble, though I don't often get this low to the ground. You never know what might be lurking... So if you're ready, we'll get going. Keep a sharp watch." With that she flapped her wings and got back up into the air, flying just above Garrett's head and then moving on slowly, leading the way towards Glassmoor.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Garrett: HP = 62, PP = 43, EP = 77, Status = Fine
Laena: HP = 67, PP = 56, EP = 46, Status = Fine
Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

The two of them reached the road uneventfully enough, and continued down upon it in the way that Garrett had been headed the previous day. The journey would take several hours, but it was fairly early yet and they were well rested enough to travel the distance without having to stop to rest. The road they traveled was as empty today as it had been yesterday, and they met no other travelers before they saw the buildings of Glassmoor standing in the distance.

A few more minutes of walking (and flying) and the duo had reached the town, really little more than a modest sized collection of wooden buildings. The first building they spotted was the tavern, one of the larger buildings that they could see, and with a plaque with a bird wearing a top hat painted on it, and the words, "The Wealthy Bird's Lounge" painted beneath it.

It had taken Lily a long time to reach this village. Allegedly, the peoples of the Amazon were an enlightened people, accepting of all races and wise in the ways of magic. So far, the hospitality of the village had cast some doubt on the former, and the absence of anyone willing to tell her anything about magic had frustrated any hope of proving the latter. There were a few sorcerers among the people of Glassmoor, but none of them had given her the time of day, either telling her to come back later or to not come back at all, with varying degrees of politeness. She had only been here two days so far, but already this small place looked to be of little use to her.

She sat on the porch of the tavern, and watched as two strangers, one a man who looked like he was from the nation to the west, which she had passed through to get here, and the other a harpy of all things, entered the village. The pair were getting a great many stares from those who were outside, and some of the locals were looking through their windows as the harpy hovered over the man's head.

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

It was awkward, walking with a woman he had just slept with and continuing down the road in utter silence. But he never was good at breaking such silence, so he remained.. well... silent.

The trip was rather boring and uneventful, and in a way he was grateful for that. He didn't want to have another run in with that plant thing from yesterday. Seeing a town in the distance allowed him to finally keep his mind off of being on guard from attack.

Finally, a place where I can use the restroom without having to look over my back ever 5 seconds. It'll be nice to be around more people too.

Yet it didn't end up being that nice. While he was fairly sure he was now in a safe place, he continued to feel countless eyes staring at him and Laena for some reason. Honestly he had no clue why, but it was unnerving nonetheless. Some people even seemed to be conversing in whispers, though that could just be his own personal paranoia playing tricks on him. A tavern caught his eye, and the name of it made him chuckle a bit.

"Hey Laena, is it just me, or does that bird look like he's trying to catch your attention? I'm not good at judging other's looks that aren't humanoid in some way, but the hat is rather dashing still."

Grinning, he opened the door to the tavern for Laena to pass through.
"Ladies first."

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Ugh. That's it, I'm done with this village. Nothing here but boorish people and snobbish morons who don't deserve to be called wizards. The heat was pleasant once she had gotten used to it and the nature was just amazing, but the people... As if on cue, Lily spots two strangers approaching; strangers to the people here as well as to her, by the stares they were getting. Not that she herself didn't attract any stares; her accent was noticeable if she said so much as a few words, and her appearance scarcely less; she had given in to looking more or less human for the sake of getting on with people at least to a degree, but her angelic wings and pale skin were enough to attract attention and those she refused to give up. After all, her father was the famed winged warrior, and though she hadn't chosen that path for herself, it didn't mean that she wasn't proud of it. Anything less would've shamed her family.

As the pair approaches, Lily studies them as well, though she keeps herself from staring like the others do. As the man opens the door, she decides that it might pay to talk to them. After all, they didn't look like they would stay for long, and she'd rather travel in company. At least that way she'd be less likely to get lost. Getting up, she follows them in. "The stares are rather annoying, aren't they?"

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Laena flew alongside Garrett along the road to Glassmoor, the two staying fairly quiet the whole way despite the trip taking a few hours. The human seemed to be feeling a little bit awkward, maybe because the two of them had spent the night together, but maybe also because of the little episode this morning. Either way she couldn't tell, and she was content to give him his space if he needed it, especially as it allowed her to focus on looking out for alarunes and the like that might attack them. It was apparently quite sudden, having her following him around with the intent of becoming his mate. The harpy wished very much that she knew more about human mating rituals, so she would be better equipped to cause as few awkward moments as possible...

It was about two hours before they reached the city, though "city" might have been pushing it. It was a small town, mostly wooden buildings, and certainly nothing compared to the former glory of some of the cities of the Amazon. Still, it was the biggest town Laena had ever seen, having not strayed too far from her home. She had visited this village before every so often, to buy groceries and supplies she needed, mostly the building materials for home repairs and metalwork. Many of her kind did, as it was hard to build a smithy up in the trees, though perhaps not entirely impossible. As such she was a little surprised by the stares they got, but she shrugged it off as best as she could.

They soon came across the town's tavern, The Wealthy Bird's Lounge, and Laena finally got onto her feet on solid ground again, hopping beside Garrett towards the door. She had been here before, and even had a few drinks, but mostly she had been looking for someone willing to help her find stones for her fireplace at the time. "I'm... really not sure what you're talking about. It is a nice hat, though" she replied to the human, shrugging and not quite knowing what he was getting at. When he opened the door for her she said "thank you" and hopped inside, though soon her attention was turned outward again, as a woman's voice addressed them. She turned to look at this woman, and and found her to be... rather beautiful. While Laena didn't normally think of other women as such, this one was truly something. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the most beautiful, angelic wings she had ever laid eyes on, which were attached to the woman's back. They went wonderfully with her pale, milky skin and her perfect blonde hair. "Uhhh... yes..." the harpy replied quietly, wondering if the woman really was an angel. "It's odd, too... I don't normally get these looks..."

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Her reaction wasn't what he had expected.

Odd. Guess she didn't find it that funny. Or did I actually offend her? No she looked totally clueless about it.

They both entered the bar, and Garrett at the moment didn't notice the woman behind him engaging Laena in conversation at the moment. Instead he was looking at around the bar.

It seemed like a casual normal place, people just meeting and greeting and having fun. It reminded him of the place his dad would go to. Sometimes Garrett just followed along because his mom wanted to make sure he didn't get into any trouble. Ironic, that his mother considered him to be the more responsible one when his father was the provider of the family. To be fair, his father always did get a little loud when he had too much. Garrett never drank himself, he always thought people looked either really stupid or really silly when they get drunk, and the idea of himself acting like a buffoon in public didn't exactly appeal to him.
To the right, he saw what appeared to be a couple just engaging in normal conversation. He assumed they just became a couple, his assumption mostly based from the mans affectionate actions such as playing footsy underneath the table and them almost kissing like every 5 seconds. A brand new lovey dovey couple. In a way, he envied them a bit, and at some point in his life would like that very much himself. But right now, he had other things to do. A soft smile grew on his face as he admired just how happy they seemed to be together.

Now let's just hope that guy isn't an asshole and dumps her like after 2 months.

He finally snapped out of his observations of the area, hearing Laena already engaging in conversation with somebody else. Least he assumed it was somebody else. Turning around, he was curious to see who she was speaking to. What he saw though was not the type of person he'd expect.

The visage in front of him seemed to radiate an aura of beauty just around her. Long blonde hair, fair skin, the most perfect figure for a woman that could possibly be achieved. For lack of better word, an angel really. Did Laena actually know this person? How come he'd never seen people like this before? He had been preparing to spit venomous words at demons, not casual confrontations with an angelic being. A tightness in his chest made Garrett realize he had actually been holding his breath the entire time he had been looking at her, and he let out a slow exhale and took another breath. He also realized something else after he had been examining.

Er... why did we come here again?

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Their reactions causes slight hints of irritation to crawl to her face. Didn't I just say that I don't like being stared at? Forcing the irritation out of her voice, Lily continues: "I don't think I've seen either of you here before, as there aren't many foreigners or non-humans here. I'm Lily." As she finishes speaking, Lily extends her hand, though suddenly she wonders whether she should trust the pair after all.

Though she knew of harpies, of course, she'd never met one before and as for humans, most humans she had met before hadn't turned out to be too trustworthy, unless motivated by fear or money. The bandits that had attacked her - or rather, tried to attack her and found Banshee instead - had been human, too. Still, something about this this human felt different. Lily finds herself staring back at him, trying to decide what it is. Perhaps it's because he's foreign to her and this place both. Perhaps being foreigners together would make things better. Or perhaps it's because he's handsome - well, handsome for a human, at least. I wouldn't mind having some fun with him...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Garrett: HP = 62, PP = 43, EP = 77, Status = Fine
Laena: HP = 67, PP = 56, EP = 46, Status = Fine
Lily: HP = 62, PP = 88, EP = 62, Status = Fine

Those in the tavern right now were mostly employees and a few people who were having lunch, and they all gawked at Lily and Laena for a minute, the sight of not one but two winged women understandably something that caught the attention of others. They only lingered for a moment or two though, and then a waitress came over to the three of them and said; "Hello! Would you like something to eat this afternoon? Or something to drink perhaps? Are you three the only ones in your party?"

(There is no turn order. Your characters can chime in whenever they like.)

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

"Ahhh, sorry" Laena muttered, looking away from the beautiful woman for a while. Her face lit up in a blush at being caught staring, and she listened quietly before turning back to look at Lily. "That's a pretty name... I'm Laena. And I've been here before, just not recently" she said, looking down at the hand with a puzzled look on her face. What is she doing? Is there something she expects me to do with her hand? she wondered, not really getting the concept of handshakes.

Of course, the harpy could also see that the angelic woman was staring at Garrett, and could almost feel him staring back. Laena fidgeted uncomfortably, the blush deepening. He thinks she's prettier than me, doesn't he? Who am I kidding? She is prettier than me... she thought, focusing intently at Lily's hand in order to keep from focusing on her other features. She's got what men really want, after all, doesn't she? Curves... Something I definitely don't have... She had moved her hand to scratch at her shoulder idly, self-consciously covering her petite, bandaged chest with a wing.

The waitress snapped her out of her thoughts, and she jumped slightly in surprise and turned to the woman, not sure what to say. She looked to Lily, and then to Garrett, not sure if they wanted to eat together or even if they wanted to eat. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to eat. She surely didn't have much money to her name, and she remembered this place being a little expensive.

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Almost an answer to his prayers, somebody else had come around to break snap him back to reality. Staring wasn't exactly polite, but he wasn't able to really help it all that much. Garrett checked his pockets, searching through to find a decent amount of money. He knew he'd come across other possible towns, so he had planned to at least have a reasonable amount of cash needed. But that was more for finding an inn to sleep in, or more equipment should he find something more useful in the shops later. Buying dinner for two woman he had only recently just met had not been one of his future plans.

Taking a decent amount of money from his "budget" he might be able to at least afford something. He gave the waiter a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry miss, honestly we are just dropping on through town. I'm not aware of the prices here, but is there anything that you could perhaps suggest? And yes, it's just the tw- er... three of us?"
Garrett did a quick double take, and assumed that the waitress thought the angel was in their group.
I guess it's the three of us.
"Yes, the three of us."
He noticed that while Lily was introducing herself, it seemed Laena was put off by her. Instead of shaking her hand, Laena just seemed to be keeping to herself. Almost like she was intimidated by her presence. Garrett leaned forward and shook the woman's hand, trying to at least salvage some decent manners into first impressions.
"Sorry, my head was in another world for a while. Been traveling a long way and very tired. My name is Garrett. Pleasure to meet you. Anyways, would you two like to order something specific?"

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Something about Laena's reaction bothered Lily. Why is she...Are they more than just traveling together? But then, why would he... Her thoughts interrupted by the waitress, Lily looks at her, then back at Garrett, then at Laena. "Likewise. So, did you come here to eat or for something else?"

As she speaks, Lily studies Laena. The nervous harpy looks cute to her, but she still couldn't figure out why she seems so nervous. Hesitating, she opens her mouth again, hoping they wouldn't overreact: "Forgive me if I shouldn't ask, but are you two...together?" As she finishes, a slight blush colours her cheeks, making her really wish she knew better what to say and what to not. The people on the ship had been half naked most of the time, except when it was cold, so she had assumed that most humans only wore clothing of necessity. Then when she had asked about it in the port... The reactions had certainly been unexpected.

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

And there was the question he was fearing all along. He liked Laena, but he didn't really consider him to be "with her" exactly. But they had done stuff.

Shoot, how am I supposed to respond? If I say yes, that gives Laena the impression that we're already a couple or something. If I say no, she'll think that what we did together was just so I could get some action. Though to be fair, she was the one who tried to seduce me first.

It would be best if he dismissed it as quick as possible.

"No, no no no. We aren't together like that. We're just traveling together. I was recently in the jungle and had no way to find out where to take some shelter for the day and when I came upon her, she guided me here. But we've quickly become great friends. "

Well that's not exactly true, but I was totally lost before I met her. Not to mention saved me from some plant monster thing I didn't notice.

"And yeah, we came here to eat. Just didn't know this place was so expensive."

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

That's a lot of denials for a simple question. And yet she's so nervous.Strange...

Smiling at the confirmation of her thoughts and still looking at Laena, Lily replies: "What a coincidence. I could use someone to guide me, too. Not that I know exactly where I want to go. You see, I came to Amazon to continue my studies, but the place I was supposed to go was in ruins. Well, I think those were of that town. I've been kind of lost, and I don't even really know where to go from here. But let us discuss it elsewhere, if you want to eat I know another place. Cheaper, hopefully."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Together...? Laena thought, and her heart skipped a beat as she quickly gazed sideways towards Garrett. What will he say? What does he think of me? There was an awkward silence for a bit, as neither of them answered, the moment seeming to last much longer than it actually did to the nervous harpy. Finally the man spoke up, and Laena's heart sank. He seemed all too eager to deny it, and to claim that they were "just traveling together." One of the things he said next really put a damper on her spirit. "Great friends." The words shouldn't have hurt as badly as they did. That didn't stop it from feeling like she had just been punched in the gut, of course.

Great friends. They were no more "great friends" than they were mates. They had known each other for less than a full day, and hadn't had a particularly substantial conversation yet. In that way it felt like he was dismissing her as even a possibility. One didn't mate with one's friends, after all. Or did they? Laena couldn't be sure. She had a fair idea, though, so she thought, and the doubt wasn't enough to save her mood.

"Yeah, friends..." the harpy replied quietly, shuffling her feet uncomfortably from side to side. She didn't make comment on the idea of going to a different place to eat. It didn't really register that they were talking about such a thing, in truth.

 

[Sponge]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

Garrett winced a little, seeing how Laena looked like she was getting depressed from the tone of her voice. But there wasn't much else he could do or say. Should he try to backpedal a bit? No, he couldn't do much. But he thought of the next best thing he could think of.

"Hey Laena, when we get to that other restaurant, you can order whatever you want ok? Don't hesitate to ask for me for anything, I do owe you my life after all."

In truth, he most likely did.

Glancing at Lily, he explained "Some plant monster thing was going to get the drop on me, but she happened to be passing by. Anyways, lead the way to this other place, we'll follow right behind."
He flashed a quick smile and swiftly glanced at Laena. She seemed to be out of it, probably wasn't really listening anymore.
She's so quiet.
Taking her by the hand, he tugged Laena along behind him. "Cmon, let's go."

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Into the Darkness (Sponge, Tiffanian and Hentaispider)

As Garrett speaks again, Lily's eyes wander back towards him. There was clearly something weird going on between the two, but perhaps this isn't the time to find out.

Lily starts to lift her hand towards Garrett, then lets it drop and turns around. "Okay. Follow me." As she exits the tavern, Lily easily leaps into the air, gesturing Laena to follow. Though the streets aren't exactly crowded, it's still easier to see from the air and Lily still isn't very familiar with the area. Spotting the right building from the air, Lily glides down towards it until she's hovering just above the ground, making it easier for Garrett to follow without craning his neck. About two blocks further down the street Lily drops to the ground in front of a sign with a green woman in it and turns around to face the others. "This is where I've eaten before. The food is pretty good and it suits my budget."
(sorry if this seems a bit hurried, I wanted to post before going to bed.)